"Hardy" is such a relative term. To my knowledge, no Bird of Paradise comes anywhere near being hardy except in zones 8 or warmer which is completely out of our league in the frozen north. I once grew the regular old bird of paradise from seed without any problems. As I remember I just planted the things, kept them kind of warm and they germinated in a few weeks. Also, is there a particular variety of B of P which goes by the name 'Hardy Bird of Paradise'? I couldn't find anything when I Googled. Kevin

Thank you Hazel, Dave, and Logan,Utah: Costco here brings in huge white birds that have been raised outside. Now that I know I can be successful with these plants indoors, I think I would gradually move the plant to a protected area for a bit, then inside so I don't send it into shock. I don't have coverings on my big windows as I love the sunlight that pours in, and there is plenty of it. Thank you so much for the info. Hazel, your fence is very attractive. Half of our fence blew over during a BIG wind storm. Suddenly we were looking at fence designs but found with some new posts we could salvage the fence. And Logan, Utah just have to say how beautiful I thought Logan was when I drove through with my youth group on our way to Montana for backpacking. I loved the whole valley laid out in front of us as we came over the 15 into Logan. Beautiful. Thanks all for your time. Mary

Hmmmm, Amy...a challenge. LOL OK, first thing you need to realize is that BOPs are native to South Africa, specifically a biodiversity hot spot that runs from CapeTown to Mozambique. Why is this important? Because the western part of this region is Mediterranean subtropical with wet mild winters and dry summers. Go up the coast a little bit and it turns to a warm-humid subtropical (like Florida). BOPs straddle this line, which is why they thrive in both types of climates. That being said, BOPs can be drought tolerant...they can also take summer rains (remember the northern part of their range), thus they are one of the few flowers that can be the official flower of Los Angeles and also be a symbol of the wet tropics. My experience is that they flower more (peaking near winter) in California than they do in wetter climates. So...the bottom line is that you can do either and it will work. BOPs prefer not to be soaked and can handle considerable dryness, but not bog conditions. They are equally at home with impatiens (water hungry) at their base, as well as xeriphytic plants such as aloes (same origin) and smaller succulents. Depends on whether SE Asia interests you more or the Palm Springs look. ;-) If you want SE Asia in your Zone 8 garden, you can go the annual route, BUT use indoor plants commonly available at big box retailers (go with the 4"). To replicate most Balinese/Thai tropical styles, go with a three-level planting with the BOP as a centerpiece. You can use things like pothos (grows like crazy until it gets cold), shorter bromeliads like vreisias, and peperomias (especially the variegated ones). To frame the BOP (especially since it's in plenty of shade, you can use anthuriums (the bigger, red flowered ones like "Florida" are typically tougher), crotons (from a 2-3 gal), and smaller ti plants. Also tuck in a fern or two...like maidenhair to green up the base. Despite their reputation, most tropical plants abhor constant wetness...deep water the area and wait until the soil dries on top. The only thing I might suggest is bumping up the humidity in the area on those really dry days with a mister (or small water feature). Again, the previous list must be treated like annuals where you live, but they'll definitely give you the SE Asia look that's common in Bali, Singapore, Bangkok and it won't hurt the pocketbook. I'd recommend orchid masses (in our case cymbidiums would have to substitute for the phalenopsis they use), but the leaves don't provide enough contrast to a BOP. You can also cheat a little bit with another South African plant that loves shade and flowers in the winter/early spring, clivia lilies. They are a little tougher and though you won't see these in Singapore, if you're BOP survives, this will too. Same with the old standby, agapanthus. Common, I know, but it will be in bloom when your BOP isn't, though light may be an issue. That's the wet look...I'm sure you can handle the dry since you know succulents, but you can't go wrong with smaller aloes (shade tolerant). Some of the blue-green senecios or lower growing sedums will give a nice contrast in color with the BOP leaves. Apple-green aeoniums in masses might look good too, as well as some of the echeverias. One good coffee table book for xeriphytic ideas is Desert Gardens. B&N or Borders will probably have it and it's full of great pics of succulent combos. I hope this helps, Amy. Good luck. spectre

As plants grow, they need more room and larger containers. If the idea here is to plant once and for all, then one would not want a container that barely or just fits, but a large bed type raised planter ... or just plant a bed, where the space for root growth is, more or less, unlimited. One thing to watch out for ... as plants grow and their roots fill the soil, the root ball becomes an almost solid, indestructible mass. Flower pots and nursery containers are always straight-walled and tapered to narrower at the bottom. If a decorative planter's shape is not tapered in this manner, it may be impossible to remove a plant without destroying it, or the planter, after its roots have filled the soil.